Syracuse Crunch

The Syracuse Crunch netted a pair of power play goals in the first period, but the Binghamton Senators had the last laugh Friday.

The Senators scored five unanswered goals in the second and third periods -- including the eventual game-winner on a controversial penalty -- as they topped the Crunch, 5-2, at the Onondaga County War Memorial.

For Syracuse coach Rob Zettler, his team got away from the game plan and what the team did well in the first period.

"We get up by two, and then we think we're a fancy team instead of grinding it out," Zettler said. "We are what we are. We don't have high-end skill on our team. We have to manufacture goals by working hard, getting it deep and trying to plug away down there."

Defenseman Jean-Philippe Cote is finally making his return to the NHL after a seven year absence after signing a 2-year, 2-way contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning yesterday. Cote has been an integral part of the Lightning organization for its AHL squads the last three year, most recently with Syracuse.

Simply put, there are players with all the skill in the world that kids try to emulate, trying trick shots and near-patented moves. Cote's the type of person and player that a dad will take his son by the shoulders, turn him in Cote's direction, and say "be like him." Even if the kid never makes the NHL, he's a player and person his family can be proud of.

After getting off to more than a point per game pace, the Syracuse Crunch center had his sophomore season interrupted when he required surgery on his left hand, which was broken from blocking a shot against Hamilton at the Bell Centre in Montreal Nov. 22. The 21-year-old is now counting the days until he can return to the lineup.

"I'm even hungrier now," Namestnikov said. "I just want to get back as soon as possible. I can't wait."

It should be noted the Syracuse lineup did not include Dana Tyrell or Matt Taormina, both of which were returned by Tampa Bay today, nor did it include the freshly signed and recalled J.P. Cote. So, perhaps tonight's result wasn't all that bad under the circumstances.

Signed to a tryout deal last month, Philip-Michael Devos joined the Syracuse Crunch with no idea about the length of his stay.

A Calder Cup champion with the Lightning's affiliate in Norfolk, Devos spent all of last season with the Crunch and played all 18 playoff games on Syracuse's run to the Calder Finals. He was not re-signed in the offseason and ended up with the Elmira Jackals of the ECHL, but with the injury bug taking bites out of the Crunch lineup, Tampa Bay looked for a familiar face to fill in.

"We brought him up because he could be a useful player for us," said Syracuse coach Rob Zettler of Devos. "He can play in all kinds of different situations, and what we liked was that he's familiar with how we play, and he's familiar with our guys and our culture. He seamlessly fit right in."

After getting pulled from a game earlier this week, Kristers Gudlevskis was eager to step back into the crease.

The Syracuse Crunch goalie looked at a few pucks hitting the pipes behind him as a positive omen, and finished with a 27-save shutout in a 1-0 win over the Rochester Americans at the Onondaga County War Memorial Saturday. The victory snaps a four-game losing streak for Syracuse.

"When you get those pipes, you start to feel comfortable," the Latvian netminder said. "You start to feel like it's your day. It's a lucky moment, it's help."

Kristers Gudlevskis stopped all 27 shots he faced for his second shutout of the season. That's a slump buster, right there. Well done.

First Period
SYR Connolly, (2) (Korobov, Witkowski), 14:18

Second Period
NO SCORING

Third Period
NO SCORING

Gudlevskis and Brett Connolly were the game's first and second stars. In the last 7 games, Connolly has 2 goals and 5 points as he continues to come out of his early season funk. It's a good thing.

Syracuse is 3 points out of the #8 spot in the Eastern Conference with a game in hand on Norfolk after the Admirals' loss to Springfield tonight. Syracuse faces Hershey on Wednesday as they try to maintain contact for a playoff spot while the organization gets healthy and they have the opportunity to reload. Every win right now is a little life line.

There's not much to feel positive about from this contest. Syracuse was dominated on the shot board 47-15 and dominated on the scoreboard 6-2. The two teams square off again tomorrow when the Crunch will have a chance at redemption. As an old hockey hand once told me, it's really hard to paste the same team two nights in a row.